Storms leave parts of Tshwane in the dark, while several houses in KZN destroyed

City of Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink has called on residents to be patient as the city works to restore power to several areas following the weekend storms.

On Sunday, the South African Weather Service (Saws) upgraded the level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms to a level 4.

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Hail, heavy rainfall and damaging winds were experienced in the city.

Brink said on Monday: “This weekend, we had very severe storms, including hailstorms, that have hit our service infrastructure quite badly – trees falling down, interfering with overhead lines that now have to be repaired.

“We’ve sent out a notice to say due to the bad weather and its effects, the response times are going to be delayed. We’re on the ground to inspect the damage and to ensure the work gets done. We’re asking for patience as there are certain things that we can’t control, including the severity of the weather. We’re doing all we can to restore the power. We’re aware of it and attending to it.

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“We plead with our customers to exercise patience while we strive to reduce the backlog.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Human Settlements on Monday dispatched the department’s emergency housing team to assess the damage caused by storms that hit several houses in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), on Saturday.

According to the department, several houses in Ekubuseni, Gomodo and Holinyoka villages were damaged by the storms, leaving four households homeless.

“I have directed officials to ensure that affected households are assisted as a matter of urgency. We have roped in one of our agencies, the NHBRC, to help the team assess the integrity of all structures that have been affected,” said Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.

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“Our main objective … is to ensure that we respond swiftly and provide solutions that will enable the affected communities to rebuild their homes.”